NEWPORT BEACH >> Karl Parker, Mobility Programs Coordinator for Paratransit Services, was presented with a CalACT 2018 Outstanding Coordination Award by Lake Transit Authority General Manager Mark Wall at the CalACT Spring Conference & EXPO Annual Awards luncheon held in Newport Beach, California.
CalACT is a California statewide, non-profit professional organization that has been in existence since 1984. Its stated mission is “to promote professional excellence, stimulate ideas and advocate for effective community transportation.” Paratransit Services, a nonprofit company based in Bremerton, Washington, has operated Lake Transit from a facility in Lower Lake since 2007 under contract with Lake Transit Authority (LTA).
In the Spring of 2015 LTA initiated a new program with Paratransit Services to assist County residents with their Non-Emergent Medical Transportation (NEMT) needs. Parker, who at that time was a driver for Paratransit Services, became a “great choice” to lead the new Lake Links project as the Mobility Programs Coordinator.
Through his efforts, a volunteer driver-based ride assistance program (“Pay Your Pal”) was started, and over $700,000 in federal grant funding has been secured to develop mobility programs and expanded NEMT services for County residents. As he continues to move the Lake Links program forward, Parker has become an active participant in community forums representing alternative transportation options and has shown strong advocacy for enhancements to services in Lake County for seniors and people who have disabilities.
In nominating Parker for the Outstanding Coordination Award, Wall noted that the Transit Authority’s objective in starting Lake Links is “to create a collaborative, human services oriented adjunct to the transit system that can reach out to the community, create partnerships, and encourage investment by private and non-profit sectors in the specialized services that go beyond traditional public transit.” He added that as the Mobility Programs Coordinator “Karl has worked tirelessly to develop the Lake Links program.”
